soon, people restricted to wheelchairs will be able to enjoy freedom. Freedom not only from strenuous physical effort and constant dependence on caretakers, but freedom of motion and manoeuvrability as well. A revolutionary new omnidirectional wheelchair based on technology developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ornl) , Tennessee, usa, will offer a range of movement beyond the scope of the conventional wheelchairs.

Called the TransRovr (transportable roving omnidirectional vehicle replacement) and developed by Florida-based CyberTrax Innovative Technologies, the wheelchair uses algorithms and engineering technologies patented by ornl for its amazing manoeuvrability. The invention at the heart of the chair, the omnidirectional holonomic platform (ohp), evolved from a project to develop mobile robots for hazardous environments and was the 1993 r & d 100 award winner.

The base of the light weight, portable, battery-powered wheelchair is a platform which is propelled, not by wheels but by three freely-rotating spherical casters that steer around a vertical axis. The enhanced horizontal motion capabilities of the TransRovr allow unrestricted, resistance-free, 360